Main Transmission Plate Fitting

1 FAA Aviation Safety SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Main Transmission Plate Fitting SAIB: SW-18-13 Date: April 30, 2018 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.

Introduction

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) informs owners/operators of Agusta S.p.A. (Agusta) Model A119, AW119 MKII, A109E, A109S, and AW109SP helicopters of an airworthiness concern for those helicopters that have a left or right main transmission fitting plate (fitting) part number (P/N) 109-0330-17 installed. The FAA is in the process of updating Agusta's name change to Leonardo Helicopters on its type certificate. Because this name change is not yet effective, this SAIB specifies Agusta.

At this time, the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 39.

Background

An operator reported several cases of cracks in the fitting and loose fasteners (Hi-Loks) on their fleet of AW119 MKII helicopters. The FAA’s Rotorcraft Standards Branch queried our Monitor Safety Analyze Data (MSAD) and Service Difficulty Reports (SDR) databases and found that there were twelve occurrences of cracked fittings. Because they are the state of design for these model helicopters, we contacted the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). EASA performed a safety assessment with input from Agusta and determined there is not an unsafe condition that warrants mandatory action. On March 6, 2018, Agusta issued Service Bulletin No. 119-087 to conduct an eddy current inspection of the plate for cracks. Although the safety assessments concluded that AD action is not currently warranted, we are requesting information to determine if future AD action is warranted. This SAIB includes models other than the AW119 MKII helicopters because they use the same P/N fitting.

Recommendations

We recommend the following for owners and operators of the affected helicopters with fitting P/N 109-0330-17 installed:

• Inspect the left and right fitting for a crack and loose Hi-Lok fasteners within 100 hours time- in-service (TIS). The areas to be inspected are depicted in the following Figure 1:

2

Figure 1

Note: Do not use any tools to inspect for loose fasteners. An operator reported they were able to turn the Hi-Lok by hand.

• If there is a crack, replace the fitting before further flight. • If there are loose fasteners, replace them before further flight. • Provide the following information within 10 days after the inspection to the individual listed in the For Further Information Contact paragraph:

a. Aircraft model and serial number, b. Hours TIS since the fitting was installed, c. Location and extent of any crack. d. Any loose fasteners in the area.

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the OMB has approved the information collection contained in this SAIB, and assigned OMB Control Number 2120-0731. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the FAA at: 800 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20591, Attn: Information Collection Clearance Officer, ASP-110.

3 For Further Information Contact

Matthew Fuller, Continued Operational Safety Aerospace Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; phone: (817) 222-5161; e-mail: [email protected].

For Related Service Information Contact

Leonardo, Via Giovanni Agusta, 520, 21017 Cascina Costa di Samarate (VA) Italy; phone: +39 0331 229111; fax: +39 0331 229605.